Police in Dowa have arrested a shop manager and a security guard for stealing money from Affordable Input Program (AIP) beneficiaries.

The two are John Mgombe, aged 31, who is a shop manager at Chankhungu Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) and Osward Foster, aged 41, a security guard.

Dowa police publicist Sub-Inspector Gladson M’bumpha said that on Monday, November 9, 2020, the suspects were on duty when police arrived at the place for routine monitoring of the program.

“The two suspects were found with over 100 national identification cards and upon being questioned, the suspects said the national identification cards were for customers who had failed to buy the inputs for the past three days and they were assisting them to buy,” said M’bumpha.

However, in the process, it was discovered that there were some national identification cards pinned together with cash. This raised suspicion that the two might have been overcharging as some rumors had earlier been heard.

He further added: “Upon counting the national identification cards and cash, the suspects failed to explain the excess of K36,000 against 15 national identification cards in their possession.”

However, some of the customers claimed that they were charged K1,000 or K2,000 per national identification card so that they should easily buy the inputs.

The suspects were arrested and taken to police for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the national identification cards and cash amounting to K62, 000 have been seized from the suspects.

The suspects will appear before court soon to answer a charge of abuse of office.

Mgombe comes from Mwalala Village in Traditional Authority Namkumba in Mangochi whereas Foster comes from Mtumodzi Village in Traditional Authority Mkukula in Dowa District.